Haridwar: Under the 'Cyber Crime Hotspot' campaign, Shyampur Police have busted a major cyber fraud network, arresting five alleged members of the 'Magadh Cyber Gang'. Police recovered 35 ATM/debit cards from various banks, 14 bank passbooks, 17 SIM cards, 18 mobile phones, two laptops, and Rs 37,500 in cash from their possession. An investigation into the seized digital and banking materials revealed suspicious digital transactions exceeding Rs 2.75 crore. All five accused have been presented in court and sent to jail. SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar announced a reward of Rs 5,000 for the team that uncovered the gang.

During a press conference held on Wednesday at the SP City office in Mayapur, SSP Bhullar stated that police were continuously monitoring suspects and vehicles as part of the ongoing campaign against cybercrime hotspots. Late Tuesday night, Shyampur SHO Nitesh Sharma and Chandighat Chowki Incharge Devendra Singh Tomar, along with their team, were conducting checks. They received information about individuals involved in cyber fraud in a Swift car in Sajjanpur Pili. Police immediately began checking at the Rasiyabad Single Line Point. Shortly after, a white car coming from the Chidiyapur side was stopped and searched. A large number of ATM cards, bank passbooks, SIM cards, mobile phones, laptops, and cash were found in a backpack.

Following interrogation and preliminary investigation of the digital material, the accused were identified as Krishna Pandey (resident of Ghosarama village, Giriyak police station, Nalanda district, Bihar), Niranjan Kumar (resident of Devdha village, Pakribarawan police station, Nawada district, Bihar), Sunny and Chandan Pandey (residents of Durganagar, near Govindgarh Ashram, Bhupatwala, Haridwar), and Chandramani Kumar (resident of Devdha village, Pakribarawan police station, Nawada district, Bihar). Passbooks and ATM cards from several banks, including Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, State Bank of India, UCO Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Indian Bank, and Nainital Bank, were found. Three of the arrested accused hail from Nalanda and Nawada districts of Bihar.